Published in ILLUMINATION’S MIRROR·PinnedMember-onlyWriter in WonderlandNavigating Medium’s rabbit hole — For the last year, I have metaphorically fallen down a bizarre and dreamlike rabbit hole filled with exotic travels through Peruvian jungles, oddball bathroom exorcisms, and nonsensical transformations. Like Alice in Wonderland, I’m on a whacky journey of self-discovery as I transition from full-time educator to part-time educator and full-time…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
Published in Age of Empathy·PinnedMember-onlySearching for GraceMemoir of life looking for my daughter — Truth and life are painful. In life, children die and disappear, and the pain is still there even after the story ends. In fiction, the writer creates an imaginary world of pain and lives in it while she writes. But when the story is told, when the last word is…Memoir5 min readMemoir5 min read
Published in Crow’s Feet·PinnedMember-onlyTen and Pregnant: Goodbye Sugar MountainGrandma’s Historical Menstrual Tour — My 6-year-old granddaughter Josie wants to be ten. My response is: “Six is a great age.” She doesn’t buy it; she wants to be ten. “I’m ten,” she tells me, holding up her fingers. “What about six, seven, eight, nine? …Childhood5 min readChildhood5 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·PinnedMember-onlyThe HumblingI Know not thisPoetry1 min readPoetry1 min read
Published in Flicks TV Hound·2 days agoMember-onlyItalian NeorealismLuchino Vistonti and Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica — ∘ Film|Early Cinema · Luchino Visconti · Roberto Rossellini · Watch Martin Scorsese discuss the Films of Roberto Rossellini. · Vittorio De Sica Italian Neorealism is my favorite period of Cinema History. I think it’s because I can watch many of the films in Italian and my students can read…Cinema6 min readCinema6 min read
Published in The Community Building Movement·2 days agoMember-onlyThoughts on Culture and LiteratureIt’s all Political — There’s been a great deal of talk over public radio lately about what should and should not be taught in English classes and why certain classic writers like Steinbeck and Tolstoy are privileged over other works like contemporary writer Ichaso’s Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets. Seriously, does it matter? Why…Reading5 min readReading5 min read
Published in Move Me Poetry·4 days agoMember-onlyThis Space That Is YoursA poetic rumination on relationship longevity — I will give this to you a place to plant your seedlings where your hopes and dreams germinate, flourish, and grow in this space that is yours I will celebrate with you seasons of hopeful blooms dazzling bursts of imagination in all their poetic glory and mesmerizing magnificence in this space that is yours…Move Me Poetry4 min readMove Me Poetry4 min read
4 days agoRelax and ReadCollective Reading — Welcome back to our collective reading group. We have our travel itinerary below. Just remember a few things with this Reading Community — you must read. Remember, this only works if you reciprocate. Here’s the spiel again: Read the articles; try not to read them all at once. …Reading2 min readReading2 min read
Published in Flicks TV Hound·Mar 17Member-onlySoviet Montage and the Kuleshov EffectThe influence of Russian Revolutionaries — Whereas now it is social media, that spreads misinformation, in the past, revolutionaries like Lenin used film, believing that it was the perfect medium to spread subversive ideas to the illiterate masses. …Flicks Tv Hound7 min readFlicks Tv Hound7 min read
Published in Age of Empathy·Mar 16Member-onlyI Think; Therefore, I WalkA meditation on walking — I like to walk; it doesn’t really matter where as long as I’m walking. I don’t even need a destination. In fact, I think I prefer it this way. I put one foot in front of another, one aimless thought in front of another, and off I go. When I…Personal Growth4 min readPersonal Growth4 min read